Resetting a user password on a Windows Server VM

Written by

Updated at February 26, 2024

To reset a user password on a Windows Server VM using Yandex Cloud tools, you need:

Password reset agent. The agent is part of standard Windows Server images. If you are using a custom image, follow this guide to install the password reset agent.

The compute.admin service role, the editor primitive role, or any other role that inherits all permissions of these two. For more information about roles, see Access management in Compute Cloud.
Running VM (with the RUNNING status).

To reset a password:

Management console

PowerShell

Select the folder the VM belongs to.
Select Compute Cloud.
Select the VM.
Click Reset password.

Note

In the window that opens, if you see a message that the password reset agent is not running on the VM, make sure it is installed and review its runtime logs. For more information, see Verifying password reset agent operation on a Windows Server VM.
Specify the Username to reset the password for. If there is no user with that name on the VM, this user will be created with administrator access.
Click Generate password.
Save the New password. It will become unavailable once you close the window.

Run PowerShell as an administrator.
Install the password reset module (once):
1. Install the CLI and configure it to run commands under a user or a service account with the required role (see above).
2. Run this command:
```
Install-Module -Name YCPasswordReset
```
  Answer Y (for "Yes") to any installer questions such as those regarding the NuGet package manager and repositories.
Run this command:
```
Reset-YCUserPassword -InstanceName <VM_name> -Username <VM_user_name>
```
Note

If a command takes too long to run, stop it using the Ctrl + C key combination. After you do this, verify that the password reset agent has been installed. For more information, see Verifying password reset agent operation on a Windows Server VM.

If the VM does not have the username specified in the -Username parameter, the user will be created with administrator access.
Save the generated password. It will become unavailable once you close the window.